Improvement in door-springs



s. CUTLER.

Door-Springs.

No. 136,974. PatentedMarch18,l873.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SPALDING CUTLER, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO,'ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND HUGHMGOONNELL, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN DOOR-SPRINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 136,974, dated March18, 1873.

Nature and Objects of Invention.

This invention relates to that class of doorsprings which consistessentially of a rod, pivoted at one end to the jamb and carried at theother end in a bracket on the door, and a spiral spring encircling therod, which is contracted in opening the door and shuts it by itsreaction. My improvement consists in combining, with the rod and thebracket 011 the door, a cam, which may be turned to press the rod soforcibly against one side of its bearing in the bracket as to preventthe two from moving on each other, for the purpose of suspending theaction of the spring and holding the door in any desired position.

Description of the Aceompemying Drawing. Figure l is a perspective viewof 'a door or gateclosed, showing my invention in a position whichfastens it. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the bracket, showingthe second part of my invention. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of amodification of the third part of my invention.

General Description.

A is a rod of metal, flattened at one end, which is pivoted upon ascrew, a, between two lugs, B, attached to and projecting from thedoor-jamb V. The greater portion of this rod is cylindrical, and itsouter end passes through a bracket consisting of a metal ball, 0, havinga stem, 0, which rests in a socket, D, at-

tached to the leaf of the door W by the plate E and screws 11 d. Aroundthis rod is coiled a spiral spring, 0, one end of which abuts againstthe metal ball 0 and the other against a nut, F, which works on ascrew-threaded portion, f, of the rod near its flattened part. At rightangles to the axis of the rod a slot, i, is cut through the uppercentral portion of the ball 0 of sufficient depth to admit the eccentricG, embracing the rod A and operated by the handle 9.

When the leaf W of the door is opened, its rotation shortening thedistance between the lugs B and ball 0, the rod slides through the ball,compressing the spring between the ball and the nut F, so thattheretraction of the spring tends to forcibly close the door when released.While the handle 9 is thrown forward against the door, as shown by thedotted lines in Fig. 2, the rod slides freely; but, in order to fastenthe leaf in any position, the handle 9 is drawn back, as shown, causingthe eccentric O to bind strongly between the rod and the bottom of theslot, thereby preventing any sliding of the rod, and, consequently, anyrotation of the leaf W upon its hinges, but retaining it fixed until itis released by the co centric G.

The construction of the bracket 0 c D in the form of a socket, D,sustaining the stem 0 of the metal ball 0, enables the ball to rotateslightly as the door opens, and prevents bind ing.

The nut F, adjustable upon the screw-threaded portion f of the rodenables the space in which the spring 6 works to be enlarged orcontracted and the stiffness of the spring may be regulated accordingly.

An equivalent of this device is shown in Fig. 3, where h is a pin orstud inserted in the rod near the mid-length of the spring e; and byrotating the spring around the rod a greater orless proportion of thespring may be included between the'bracket and the pin to regulate itspower.

A modification of the general device consists in extending the rod Aentirely across the door, so that it may be secured to the jamb V by ahasp or other sufficient mechanical attachment, so as to form apermanent fastening.

Besides doors, my invention admits of application to windows, gates, orother similar leaves, rotating on vertical hinges.

\ Claim. In a door-spring of the chara the combination of the rod A,slotted bearing 0 i, and cam G g, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

In testimony of which invention I hereunto set my hand.

v SPALDING. CUTLER.

Witnesses:

FRANK MILLWARD, I J. L. WARTMANN.

cter described,

